title: Cardiac autotransplantation for malignant or complex primary left-heart tumors.
abstract: Malignant or complex benign tumors of the left heart can present a formidable challenge for complete resection, due to anatomic inaccessibility. Cardiac autotransplantation (cardiac explantation, ex-vivo tumor resection, reconstruction, and reimplantation) was introduced for complex benign primary left-heart cardiac tumors by Cooley and for malignant left-heart tumors by Reardon. Herein, we update our previously reported experience.From April 1998 through July 2008, 20 patients underwent 21 cardiac autotransplantations for complex left-sided cardiac tumors that were nonresectable by traditional means. Demographics, tumor histology, operative data, and mortality rates were analyzed. Follow-up was complete in all patients.Of the 20 patients, 17 had malignant lesions, and 3 had benign disease. Two patients had left ventricular lesions and the rest had left atrial lesions. Histology showed 7 malignant fibrous histiocytomas, 5 undifferentiated sarcomas, 3 leiomyosarcomas, 1 malignant osteosarcoma, 1 myxoid sarcoma, 2 paragangliomas, and 1 myxoma. Fourteen patients had previous resection of their cardiac tumors, and 1 patient had repeat autotransplantation for recurrent disease. There were no operative deaths in patients undergoing autotransplantation alone (0/15), and 3 operative deaths in patients undergoing combined cardiac autotransplantation and pneumonectomy (3/6, 50%). All 3 patients with benign disease survived surgery and are alive without recurrent disease. Local recurrence occurred in 3/18 patients with malignant disease: 1 underwent successful repeat autotransplantation and 2 are receiving chemotherapy. The mean survival for all patients with sarcoma is 22 months.Cardiac autotransplantation enables complete resection and accurate reconstruction in many primary malignant and complex benign left-heart tumors.
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, The Methodist Hospital, Houston, Texas 77030, USA.
authors.forename: Shanda H
authors.initials: SH
authors.lastname: Blackmon
authors.forename: Ashish R
authors.initials: AR
authors.lastname: Patel
authors.forename: Brian A
authors.initials: BA
authors.lastname: Bruckner
authors.forename: Erik A
authors.initials: EA
authors.lastname: Beyer
authors.forename: David C
authors.initials: DC
authors.lastname: Rice
authors.forename: Ara A
authors.initials: AA
authors.lastname: Vaporciyan
authors.forename: Zbigniew
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Wojciechowski
authors.forename: Arlene M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Correa
authors.forename: Michael J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Reardon
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000971:Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols / Q000627:therapeutic use; D017024:Chemotherapy, Adjuvant; D003131:Combined Modality Therapy; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006325:Heart Atria / Q000601:surgery; D006338:Heart Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000401:mortality / Q000556:secondary* / Q000601:surgery*; D016027:Heart Transplantation / Q000379:methods*; D019918:Heart Valve Prosthesis Implantation / Q000379:methods; D006352:Heart Ventricles / Q000601:surgery; D017052:Hospital Mortality; D006801:Humans; D053208:Kaplan-Meier Estimate; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012086:Reoperation / Q000379:methods; D012092:Replantation / Q000379:methods*; D014182:Transplantation, Autologous